If you are looking for a weekend getaway outside of San Francisco, a quick lunch in Sausalito followed by a night at the Steep Ravine cabins is the answer! For those of you that haven’t heard of the Steep Ravine cabins, they are an amazing cluster of individual rustic oceanside cabins right next to Stinson Beach.

Here’s my guide to a quick weekend escape to the Steep Ravine cabins with what to expect and everything you need to bring to have the best time!

Part 1: Provisions + Brunch In Sausalito

A great adventure out of San Francisco always starts with a trip across the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge.

Before heading to Steep Ravine you will need some provisions! Sausalito makes a great pit stop to grab some food. The day was so gorgeous we decided to grab a quick weekend brunch there!

Based off of a recommendation from a friend, we decided to check out Barrel House Tavern. This place is OFFICIALLY my new favorite spot in Sausalito! The ambiance, view, food, and drinks were all superb!

The restaurant is on the second level behind the back area of the shops off the main drag of Sausalito. The space has a huge curved barrel-shaped ceiling running the length of the restaurant, as well as an amazing patio space that feels like you are literally dining on top of the water.

Drinks first! They have a fun make-your-own bloody mary sheet where you can check off exactly what you want. To start, we enjoyed an appetizer of their cocktail meatballs with spicy tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil.

Next was a delicious blackened snapper sandwich that was so moist and fresh, served on a ciabatta roll with fried caper aioli (yes!). The fries that came with this were the perfect crispiness — I would come to Sausalito just for these!

We also tried their albacore tuna salad melt with white cheddar cheese on brioche! This was an open-face sandwich that was almost too pretty to eat with fried shallots, arugula and cherry tomatoes.

After enjoying the amazing view of the bay and San Francisco, we headed to Driver’s Market to pick up supplies. Driver’s Market is a cute local spot a few streets away from downtown Sausalito where you can get any food you will need. We wanted to keep our camping food simple so we grabbed some rosemary crackers, cheese, sandwiches and, of course, wine for our evening at the Steep Ravine cabins. (For everything you need to pack and bring, check out the “logistics” section at the end of this post!)

On to the cabins!

Part 2: A Weekend Getaway at the Steep Ravine Cabins

The cabins are a short drive away from Sausalito. Driving up Highway 1, you turn off the road at a gated turn-out a few miles south of Stinson Beach. When you book the Steep Ravine cabins, make sure to call and get the code to unlock the gate from the national park service ahead of time since cell service is limited. All of this cabin access info comes with your reservation so don’t worry! More about how to snag these reservations at the end of this post in the “logistics” section!

You’ll enter the gate and drive down a long winding steep hill till you are practically at the edge of the ocean — the Steep Ravine cabins!

This area is breathtaking and very private. You feel removed from everything with the hillside jutting up far above you and only the coastal cliffs below you.

Time to unpack and set up your cabin! Each cabin has a padlock code you will need to get inside. In the cabin, there is a wooden stove (wood can be purchased on site for $8 a bundle), a kitchen table, and a few rooms with wooden platforms for you to set up sleeping bags or a blowup mattress. (Get the full packing guide in the “logistics” section at the end of this post!)

We settled into our cabin and headed down to our own private beach, only accessible from the campsites.

After exploring this area, we took a break back at our cabin, breaking out the wine and cheese for a little happy hour with the most amazing view!

For sunset, we hiked around the rest of the campground, taking in the ocean views and crashing waves.

Back at our cabin, we made a fire in the wooden oven that kept our cabin nice and toasty long into the evening. We spent the night relaxing, eating sandwiches, reading books, playing cards and drinking wine,.

The cabins are so amazing and totally worth making a trip out to them! Definitely one of my favorite getaways this year. If you want to try and snag a reservation check out my tips below!

Steep Ravine Logistics!

There are nine cabins you can reserve and the competition to get these is FIERCE! There is also a cluster of nine campsites you can reserve and pitch up a tent if you prefer a camping experience.

Reservations for Steep Ravine cabins are opened up on the first of every month at 7 AM, seven months out (so if you looked at reservations opening on December 1st, 2016, it would be for June 2017). These reservations book up in SECONDS once they are released so you have to act fast! To get my reservation, I set an early Friday morning alarm and was on the site refreshing constantly till the website put the cabins up to reserve.

To have the BEST time, here’s what you’ll need:

Your gate code and cabin code to get in!

Sleeping bags

Sleeping pads

Pillows

Headlamps/lanterns

Some light, small blankets to drape across cabin windows for privacy/keep out morning sunlight